Abstract

The Foster Parenting Manual is a comprehensive guide offering proven, friendly advice for novice and experienced parents alike.

Distilling many years' experience into one book, John DeGarmo combines his own wisdom with that of fellow foster parents. He describes what to expect from the process, how to access help and how to ensure the best care for your child. He tackles thorny issues such as children's use of the Internet and social media, managing contact with birth parents and how to support your child at school. Most importantly, he provides advice designed to help your child feel safe, secure and loved.

The Foster Parenting Manual offers seasoned, sympathetic advice that will be valued by foster parents and the professionals who support them.

The Foster Parenting Manual: A Practical Guide to Creating a Loving, Safe and Stable Home lays the foundation of understanding for potential and current foster parents. It answers all the questions up front, so people can easily determine if fostering will be the right path for them. DeGarmo covers all of the important topics, including allegations, grief and loss and so much more… The manual is a must-read for anyone considering foster parenting.
Kim Phagan-Hansel, Editor of Adoption Today & Fostering Families Today, Colorado, USA
John DeGarmo is one of foster care's most promising experts. His new book The Foster Parenting Manual: A Practical Guide to Creating a Loving, Safe, and Stable Home is an essential resource for any foster parent or foster care professional. DeGarmo's detailed knowledge of foster care coupled with a smooth delivery ensures the reader of an informative and entertaining reading experience.
Chris Chmielewski, Owner and Editor, Foster Focus magazine, Pennsylvania, USA
John DeGarmo's latest book, The Foster Parenting Manual is a valuable reference for both prospective and new foster carers, written from the carer's perspective. Whilst some material in the manual may be specific to the foster care system in the United States, the book contains many practical suggestions on how to manage the day to day interactions with a foster child in a way that assists the child. The book is easy to read and could be used as a basis for a series of training sessions for new carers. Caseworkers would benefit from the book's perspective on many of the issues that carers face. The book points to the universality of the issues societies face in raising children who are separated from their families and the critical importance of providing them with supportive care.
Scott Bray, Life Without Barriers, Australia
This is a unique book for people doing a unique job of fostering children which explains the subject simply and pragmatically. The gift of this book is the way it dispels the myths surrounding fostering and should help to lessen the anxiety around caring for someone else's child and also children who can struggle to accept care. It also provides carers with practical and reassuring guidance - encouraging positive outcomes in what can be a difficult yet rewarding partnership. The real-life examples support research in the field, and provide non-fostering adults a glimpse into the world of foster families and families themselves with insights and guidance from peers. This book is a fostering manual for the modern age and supports good learning for us all.
Gradle Gardner Martin, Foster Care and Social Work Trainer, Elevate Training and Development Ltd, London, UK
Dr John DeGarmo is a proud foster and adoptive parent who has fostered over 30 children. He regularly speaks on his experiences at conferences and training sessions, and is dedicated to improving and promoting successful foster and adoptive care systems. He lives with his family in Georgia, USA and is also the author of a memoir, Fostering Love: One Foster Parent's Journey. He also writes for a number of magazines, newsletters, and publications, both in the United States and in Europe.You can find out more about John here: www.drejohndegarmo.com.
DeGarmo, an experienced foster parent of more than 30 children, fills the gap in current, quality literature on foster parenting with this concise yet comprehensive guide for potential foster parents or those affected. Beginning with a short history of the practice, he helps readers understand who foster children are, how best to understand their challenges and struggles, and how to establish rules and expectations in a home, as well as considerations for working with caseworkers and birth families... VERDICT For anyone considering becoming a foster parent, this title is esstential reading, full of rich advice. Unequivocally recommended.
Library Journal, starred review
John DeGarmo's new book, The Foster Parenting Manual exceeds expectations! Realistic and honest, it effectively describes the foster care system with discernment, describes being a foster parent and a foster family clearly and compassionately and it describes the children in the foster care system with empathy, sensitivity and truthfulness. It is an honor to endorse this book.
Irene Clements, Foster Care Consultant and President of the National Foster Parent Association (NFPA), Minneapolis, USA